Harvester for onions and the like.



J. W. LINN & T. A. STUBBS.

HARVESTER FOR ONIONS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1910.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910. J 4 Z 2 SHEETS-SEEET 1.

mmmwmov Inventors.

Witnesses Attorneys APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1910.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses 7 I J Attorneys UNTED STATES PATENT onnrn.

JOHN W. LINN AND THOMAS A. STUBIBS, MQGUFFEY, OHIO.

HARVESTER FOR ONIONS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J OHN W. LINN and THOMAS A. STUBBS, citizens of theUnited States, residing at McGufl'ey, in the county of Hardin, State ofOhio, have invented a new and useful Harvester for Onions and the Like,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a harvester for onions and the like andconsists in the novel construction and arrangements of its parts ashereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a harvester of simpleconstruction which is adapted to dig the onions from the soil andelevate the same in such manner that the soil is shaken or sifted fromthe crop.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for removing thetops or foliage from the unions and for directing the onions to aplatform upon which may be mounted a receptacle. Also means are providedfor separating weeds or other undesirable plants from the onions ustprior to the time that the foliage is removed from the same.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a top plan view of theharvester. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same cut on theline 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a portion ofthe harvester cut on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a rear endelevation of the harvester. Fig. 5 is a sectional view through thetopping device of the harvester.

The harvester consists of an axle 1 mounted upon supporting wheels 2 oneof which is provided with a gear rim 3. A platform 4 is mounted upon oneportion of the axle 1, and a draft tongue 5 is connected at its rear endwith the intermediate portion of the said axle. An elevator trunk 6 ispivotally mounted upon the axle 1 adjacent the platform 4. An upright 7is mounted upon the platform 4 and a disk 8 is journaled upon the saidupright. The said disk is provided with a radially disposed handle 9 andwith a series of ratchet teeth 10 adapted to be engaged by a holdingpawl 11 mounted upon the said platform 4. A rod 12 is pivotallyconnected at one end to the disk 8 and at its other end is pivotallyconnected to the lower forward portion of the trunk 6. By thisarrangement of parts it will beseen that by swinging the handle 9 andpartially rotating the disk 8 the rod 12 will be moved longitudinallyand inasmuch as the trunk 6 is pivotally mounted upon the axle l theforward portion of the said trunk will be raised or lowered according tothe direction in which the handle 9 is swung.

A digging share 13 is located at the lower forward portion of the trunk6 and a sieve 14 is located between the sides of the said trunk behindand slightly below the rear edge of the share 13. A shaft 15 isjournaled for rotation at its ends in the sides of the trunk 6 at thelower edge of the sieve 14 and is provided in the vicinity of its lowerends with sprocket wheels 16. A roller 17 is journaled at its endsbetween the sides of the trunk 6 in the vicinity of the upper endthereof and beyond the upper edge of the sieve 14 and chains 18 passaround the said roller 17 and the sprocket wheel 16 mounted upon theshaft 15. The chains 18 are connected together by cross slats 19 and thesaid chains and slats constitute an endless conveyer one run of which islocated above the sieve 14 and the other run below the same. A gearwheel 20 is fixed to the shaft of the roller 17 and meshes with a gearwheel 21 fixed to a shaft 22 journaled in the side of the trunk 6. Asprocket wheel 23 is fixed to the outer end of the shaft 22 and asprocket wheel 24 is journaled to the outer side of the trunk 6. Asprocket chain 25 passes around the sprocket rim 3, sprocket wheel 23and sprocket wheel 24, and is adapted to trans mit rotary motion fromone of the supporting wheels 2 to the shaft 22 and through theintermeshing gear wheels 20, 21 to the roller 17. The roller actuatesthe conveyor as described. Shafts 26 and 27 are journaled for rotationin the sides of the trunk 6 and in the vicinity of the upper endthereof, the said shafts being located below the roller 17. The saidshafts 26 and 27 are provided with intermeshing gear wheels 28 and 29respectively and the gear wheel 28 meshes with the gear wheel 21 fixedto the shaft 22. Rollers 30 are carried by the shafts 26 and 27 and thesaid rollers are made of resilient material as for instance rubber.Shafts 31 and 32 are journaled for rotation below the shafts 26 and 27and are provided with gear wheels 33 which intermesh with each other.The shafts 31 and 32 carry cutting knives 34. Fingers 35 are located inthe upper rear portion of the trunk 6 above the delivery end of theconveyer. One of the wheels 33 meshes with a wheel 37 that is fixed withrelation to the sprocket wheel 24.

From the above description it will be seen that as the harvester isdrawn along the ground and the share 13 is permitted to pass below thesurface of the soil the onions and a portion of the top soil will belifted by the share and passed back upon the sieve 14 between the sidesof the trunk 6. The material thus deposited is encountered by the slats19 and carried along the said sieve and by this movement the earth andother granular matter are sifted from the onions and foliage. WVhen theonions arrive at the delivery end of the conveyer which is just abovethe roller 17 they fall down upon the flexible rollers and the foliagecarried by the onions passes down between the rollers and from therollers the said foliage is passed between the cutting knives 34 carriedby the shafts 31 and 32. As the foliage passes between the said cuttingknives it is severed and at the last out the onion is drawn down inclose contact with the peripheries of the rollers 30 but when the lastsection of the foliage is removed the onion will rebound and roll downalong the rollers 30 toward an outlet 36 provided at the inner side ofthe conveyer trunk (3. A crate or other receptacle may be located uponthe platform 4 below the opening 36 and as the onions are relieved oftheir tops they pass through the said opening into the said receptacle.Should the onions carry with them weeds or other objectionable plants,the said objectionable plants will be engaged by the fingers anddirected over and rearwardly beyond the rollers 30 without encounteringthe same. By reason of the fact that the said rollers 30 are composed ofresilient material they will not bruise or otherwise damage the onions.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is l. A harvestercomprising a wheel mounted frame, an elevator trunk located upon theframe, a digging share located in advance of the elevator trunk, aconveyer mounted for movement along the trunk, a sieve located betweenthe upper and lower runs of said conveyer, resilient rollers journaledfor rotation below the delivery end of the conveyer and cutting knivesjournaled for rotation below the rollers and means for operating theoperable parts from one of the supporting wheels of the harvester.

2. A harvester comprising a wheel mounted frame, an elevator trunkmounted upon the frame, a digging share located in advance of the trunk,an endless conveyer mounted for movement along the trunk, a sievelocated between the runs of said conveyer, resilient rollers journaledfor rotation below the delivery end of the cmiveycr, cutting bladesjournaled for rotation below said resilient rollers, weed liftingfingers carried by the trunk and located above the delivery end of theconveyer and means for operating the conveyer, the resilient rollers andthe cutting blades from one of the supporting wheels of the harvester.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoaflixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN V. LINN. THOMAS A. STUBBS.

Witnesses DELL ELLIs, CHARLES NEWLAND.

